Tomato
The undisputed star of the summer garden, a sun-ripened tomato pulled straight from the vine tastes nothing like anything a grocery store can offer.
Tomato needs its photo.
Identify a Tomato in Rooted and share it, and yours could become the field guide image.
Red, Gold, Purple - Pick Your Obsession
Tomatoes are the most widely grown vegetable in the home garden for good reason: few crops reward attentive care so generously. Originally domesticated in Mesoamerica from wild ancestors native to western South America, they arrived in Europe in the 16th century and never looked back. Today thousands of cultivars exist, from marble-sized currant types to two-pound beefsteaks.
Tomatoes fall into two growth habits - determinate (bush) varieties set all their fruit in a compressed window and stop growing, making them ideal for canning; indeterminate varieties keep growing and fruiting until frost, and are the better choice for a steady summer harvest off the vine.
Planting & care
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date, planting them 1/4 in deep at 70-80 F. Transplant outdoors only when nighttime temps stay reliably above 50 F. Bury the stem deep - tomatoes root along their buried stems and the extra root mass pays dividends all season. Space plants 24-36 in apart and give indeterminate types a sturdy cage or stake from day one.
Feed with a balanced fertilizer at planting, then switch to a lower-nitrogen, higher-phosphorus formula once flowering begins - too much nitrogen after that point pushes leafy growth at the expense of fruit. Water deeply and evenly to prevent blossom-end rot and cracking. Mulch the soil surface to stabilize moisture and keep soil-borne pathogens from splashing onto lower leaves. Remove suckers on indeterminate varieties for better airflow and larger fruit.
The Sucker Question, Settled
Pinching suckers - the shoots that emerge in the crotch between stem and branch - is not mandatory, but doing so on indeterminate varieties channels the plant's energy into fewer, larger fruits and improves air circulation. Leave them on if you want more (slightly smaller) tomatoes or if you are growing a determinate variety, where removing suckers actively reduces yield.
How much sun does Tomato need?
Tomato grows best in full sun (6-8 hrs minimum).
How often should you water Tomato?
Give it about 1-2 in per week, deep and consistent.
When is Tomato ready to harvest?
Tomato is usually ready in 50-85 days from transplant, depending on variety.